A network element in a communication network, e.g. a cross-connect equipment in a synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) network or a switching center in a switched telecommunications network, has to be high reliable. Thus, some components, hardware and/or software components, of such network elements are redundant. For example central processing units (CPU), hardware controller or other control means of a cross-connect equipment are usually redundant. If for example a first and a second controller alternatively may control a predetermined hardware equipment, the first controller may play an active role whereas the second controller may play a passive role or vice versa. Only the active controller controls actively the hardware equipment, the passive controller is in a stand-by mode concerning the hardware to be controlled. The passive controller may however perform other functionalities in the passive/stand-by mode. The respective active role or passive role has to be assigned to the first and the second controller in order to avoid active-active or passive-passive conflicts between the first and the second controller. In an active-active conflict both controllers intend to control the hardware, in a passive-passive conflict none of both is responsible for the hardware.
It is known that a superordinated third controller coordinates the respective active role and the passive role of the first and the second controller. The third controller assigns the active role to the first and the passive role to the second controller or vice versa. It is however expensive to provide a superordinated controller. Furthermore, the superordinated controller is an additional source of error. In the case of, e.g., a malfunction of the superordinated controller or of a disturbed communication between the superordinated and the subordinated controllers, the active and passive roles cannot be properly assigned to the subordinated redundant controllers.